A Dark Ocean
by Inscriber
Summary: After the events of Depths, Wally sits on the ocean that took Artemis away. Dick is there to try and make things better, because even when it seems like we are, we are never alone.


**Title: A Dark Ocean**

**Summary: Wally and Dick have a discussion concerning the events in Depths. Small One-Shot.**

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The ocean was dark, a navy shroud of mystery that hung over the shore like a forgotten shadow that some cruel monster had left behind to wallow in the sand. The continuous sound of sand being flung onto the beach only to be pulled back into the depths was sad, as if the grains were crying out for help that would never come – they were drowning, but not a soul cared. The waves, dark against the misty night, seemed lonely – pitiful and dim. The sea seemed so inexcusably lonely, black against the night canvas and crying to the world that could never understand how painful it was to be bottomless and dark. The dusky and unfathomable ocean, so powerful and merciless, cruel and sad – an unforgiving spirit that was heartbreakingly unhappy.

Wally sat off on the shore, just close enough to the water to let it lap at the tips of his converse every time a wave crashed against the gravel-coated shoreline. His head was carefully balanced on his knees, his legs curled up beneath his chin and his arms wrapped tightly around his shins. His bright green eyes glowed faintly in the night, a dying fire that faced a sun already set. Soggy sand decorated his clothes, and his pants were damp from the hours he'd been watching the sea, but he hadn't moved. The pain was too intense – it weighed him down, pulled him close, and begged him not to leave. The ache in his heart tugged him close, held him near the only person that could soothe him and fill in the void. It fastened him to the shoreline, like his heart had decided to wait until Artemis returned – a lovesick puppy that had lost its way. He knew he looked pathetic, and he wanted to leave, to drag himself into his car and make the drive home – but he didn't move. Instead he stared down at the glittering black deep and wandered where she'd gone, where she was, what was happening. Why had he even let her go? Not that anyone could keep Artemis from charging into whatever danger she pleased, but Wally had figured she'd known how much he needed her; she'd known she was all he had left. He thought she'd understood just how much he relied on her, knew how much he needed her to function. He'd come to rely on her. She kept him grounded, kept him focus. She was his light, his fire, the only one he could be himself around anymore – and she had willingly submerged herself into the sea, putting them both into the dark. And it hurt – it hurt so bad. He couldn't even say anything, tell anyone how worried he was for her, for his Spitfire. He couldn't risk blowing her cover, couldn't throw her into any more danger than she had already dived into. He was alone, and not a soul could know just how bad he hurt. And now, no matter what happened, whether or not they failed or succeeded, Artemis Crock was dead. And Wally West was alone.

Wally bit his lip and screwed his eyes shut, his hands unclasping from around his legs before he dug his fingers into the sand, scraping up huge handfuls. The redhead head stood up suddenly, flinging the dark brown sand in the dim ocean. The handfuls landed, both with unsatisfying plopping noises.

"I hate this!" Wally yelled out, the emotion suddenly hitting him – she was gone, she might never come back. He'd shared a relationship with her that he could never share with anyone else – she was his Spitfire, his girlfriend, the only person besides Dick he'd ever trusted with not only the information he let everyone know, but his heart. A hear that both had broken; Artemis by leaving, and Dick by saying it was okay. Well, it wasn't. "I hate this, and it _hurts_."

More sand followed, and it felt good to throw something. To yell. To scream and be angry without the world looking at him like he didn't deserve to be. Like they had when he'd had to quit running, when he'd slowed down – those looks that told him he'd never be good enough. Well, not _everyone _could be _Barry_, okay? Maybe he should get that Bart kid to do it. Maybe _he_ could be Dick's best friend. Wally felt his hand get cut on a broken shell as he grabbed another handful, but he didn't pause as he continued to hurl the clumps into the water – the pain felt good. It was a feeling he could at least explain. He kept leaning down, chucking anything he could find on the ground next to him – rocks, shells, sand, the change from his pockets, his cell phone, a pen, his wallet, his backup granola bar, his car keys; everything until he reached down and found there was nothing left to throw and he felt all of his muscles relax, hot and sticky with his face flushed. Wally sank to his knees, his eyes burning and his breathing hard. He felt weightless, empty, and sick, like he might hurl right then and there.

But he felt strangely good, like he'd gotten a load off his chest. Of course he did; wasn't that how all toddlers felt after they'd gotten through their temper tantrum? Shame bit at him, but he pushed it down as he picked himself up and dusted the sand from his jeans and brushed the dirt off of his tee-shirt. His jacket would have to be thrown in a washer – it was filthy and would have sand in its pockets for years to come.

Wally took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down before the redhead faced the ocean and scratched at his neck embarrassedly, glad Artemis couldn't somehow see his pathetic display.

"Well…I love you, Artemis." He whispered quietly, so faintly that he could hear the bustling ocean winds and the crying sound of waves against shore better than his own words, "I believe in you."

He turned away, starting to make his way up the beach before he stopped dead, his hand absent-mindedly digging around in his pockets as he realized he'd chucked his car keys into the sea, past the gleaming black surface and to the ocean floor.

"Well, isn't that just perfect?" The speedster hissed to himself.

"Isn't what perfect?" a voice asked calmly.

Wally jumped a bit before his eyes became scanners and he whisked them side-to-side to find the owner of the familiar voice, his hands automatically balling up into fists and he hardened his eyes. All he saw was the stony walkway that lead to the mainland though, and the tall rocks and boulders that bordered it.

"Whoa, calm down, KF. It's just me." Nightwing called, jumping down from his perch on a boulder – Wally scowled. His friend's black-suit and raven hair made him invisible in the night, and it'd been a long time since he had enjoyed surprises, or found Dick's ninja-trick amusing. Wally lowered and unclenched his fists, his scowl fading into his usual expression – a flat expression that differed greatly from the one he'd used as Kid Flash.

"Oh. What are you still doing here? And don't call me that." Wally asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, I could ask you the same thing. And I've called you that since we met. It doesn't matter if you're in costume or not, you're still the same person – it's who you are." Nightwing replied easily.

"Fine, _Rob_," Wally shot back harshly, "But seriously – are you spying on me?" the redhead asked, his eyes narrowed. He was used to Dick's habit of keeping tabs on everyone he knew, a Bat trait, but when he'd quit the team, he'd asked Dick to stop messing in his life – he'd told him he was _done_.

Dick sighed, leaning against the boulder he'd leapt off from, "I'm sorry about this."

"I asked you not to do that anymore! I'm done!_ I just wanted to quit and be done_!" The ex-speedster forced out sternly.

"I was apologizing for Artemis, not for spying on you," Nightwing amended before adding with a smile, "You know better than to expect me to quit spying on you." He said playfully, trying to fall back in the playful rhetoric he and Wally used to share. Trying to find the Wally that only ever appeared around Artemis nowadays.

"You think an apology will make it better?" Wally huffed out in disbelief, "I _love_ her, Dick. And now…she might never come back. She might get discovered, or ratted out, and then she'll die; they could torture her, kill her, and you're _sorry_?"

Nightwing flinched before developing an angry frown of his own, "No one wants to see her get hurt. I care about Artemis just as much as you do-"

"You do?" Wally interrupted coldly, "No you don't. If you did, you wouldn't have put her in danger, you wouldn't have offered her this mission, if you cared you wouldn't put her life in jeopardy – you would have sent someone else!"

"Like who?" Nightwing fired out, slightly offended at Wally's accusation even though he knew that Wally was just angry.

"Oh, I don't know, the _shapeshifter_ who can _read minds_? Or Wondergirl, she's practically indestructible! Or Batgirl even?"

"Meagan is too important to the team to send off for an indefinite amount of time, and Wondergirl and Batgirl are too inexperienced." Nightwing said logically, his eyebrows creased.

"So what are you saying? Artemis _isn't _important?! Wondergirl and Batgirl are too inexperienced, but someone who's been off the team for _two years_ is _totally _equipped for this?!" Wally looked ready to punch Dick square in the jaw, and Nightwing straightened up a bit on his post.

"Wally, you know that isn't what I meant. I came here to try and talk with you, to apologize." Nightwing frowned, an edge to his voice, "Artemis is important to me, one of my closest friends. We've known each other since the Team formed – you and her are my closest allies, my friends. I didn't want it to have to be her, but when you're a hero things don't go your way. There are people that need our help and so we do the things necessary to help them. She' not dead, she's on a mission. You need to stop attacking everything I say."

Wally shifted his weight, biting his tongue to stop that insults that were dancing on the tip of it and he softened his gaze before sighing sadly.

"She's all I have, Dick. You know what happened. You know me and Barry don't talk anymore, and I'm kinda stale with the Team. I'm just…" Wally shrugged his shoulders, "I'm just alone, Dick."

Nightwing frowned – Wally probably felt that way. When Wally had first discovered the change to his DNA all those years ago had caused him to become unstable, that every time he ran he risked a genetic breakdown to eventual age acceleration and death, he'd had to slow down, and eventually give up running all together. In small doses, the running wouldn't hurt him, maybe age him a day or so, but nothing too monumental – but missions were out of the question. That'd been hard on Wally, and as great a guy as Barry was, he really hadn't helped. Not that he did it intentionally, but he started to kind of side-line Wally out of over-protection, to alienate him from the hero-life. The biggest rift, the one that had really done the younger speedster in, was when Barry had made the decision to demote Wally and take away Kid Flash from him. He'd done it for safety, but the good intention was disastrous. Wally had had to quit the team by extension, and therefore he'd lost any reason to bunk at the West's – there was no reason to be near the Zeta-Port anymore. He'd had to move back in with his Dad and Mom, who were passive-aggressive, always sneaking in some negative comment or snapping at him for not being better. Normally Wally had had Kid Flash to fall back on to pump himself up, but without it…the moment he'd turned eighteen, he'd been out of the house and on his way to college, no looking back. Out of spite from both sides, Wally didn't keep much contact with Barry, who for the life of him couldn't understand why Wally was angry, any of his family for that matter, or the Team, who he was to crestfallen to face. Dick had tried to confront him once, but it'd been during the argument he'd been having with Bruce that resulted in him dropping the 'Robin' title, and the talk had degraded quickly into a fight that had left both of them reluctant to speak with each other. To Wally, it really must have felt like he was completely alone now that Artemis, his girlfriend, the only one in his life left from his past, was gone.

"You aren't alone Wally," Nightwing replied, making eye contact though his mask, "You have never and _will_ never be alone. I know things haven't gone very well, but you know Bruce is still working on your stats, you DNA, rereading every single data sheet ever complied on you to see if he can find a solution. Cyborg is too, along with Strange and…Barry."

Wally stiffened at his uncle's name but didn't comment. His sad eyes deepened, and Nighwing wanted to kick himself, but he plowed on.

"You have a whole network of friends and family, Wally. You have me, and you're my best friend. No one likes what happened, or what's happening, especially with Artemis dying and all – maybe it wouldn't hurt to catch up with everyone at her funeral."

Wally's throat tightened, "Her what?"

"Black Canary and Meagan are hosting a funeral for Artemis next week. I think you should come."

"Dude, I just chucked my car keys into the ocean. Along with everything else in my pockets. You really think I should go to funeral?" Wally asked.

Dick smiled – it was the first attempt at a joke Wally had made messing around with him in years without Artemis around.

"So you're feeling better?" Nightwing asked, studying Wally's body-language – he'd known Wally forever, and it was easy to read him. His shoulders had lost their tension, and his muscles had loosened, his eyes had lost their harsh edge and he'd stopped unconsciously clenching and unclenching his hands together. He'd also stopped chewing his lip, a habit Wally had when he was uncomfortable. He could still see the sadness in his eyes though, still see how worn he looked.

"Yeah, I feel fine." Wally replied – Dick caught his lip twitch that indicated the lie, but then a genuine smile broke through Wally's mouth to reveal a white set of teeth that glowed strangely under the moon's light, "Bro, are you reading me again? You're worse than Megan!"

Dick blinked in surprise, "You know when I'm reading you?"

"Of course," Wally snorted, sounding vaguely offended, "I've known you since you were eleven."

"What do I do?" Dick asked, curious. Did he have a telling trait like Wally's lip-chewing or neck-scratching? Or was it subtle, like a head-tilt or something?

"I'm not telling. If I did you would stop. How would I know then?" Wally grinned – Dick enjoyed the familiarity, having not seen it since Wally had last worn the Kid Flash costume on a mission with him.

"Fair enough." Dick gave a single chuckle before looking Wally straight in the eye, "Are we good?"

Wally nodded slowly, "Yeah, we're cool. You should really stop spying on me though."

"You know I won't."

"Yeah, I know. But I feel obligated to ask on behalf of the saner part of me."

Both of the heroes grinned at one another before Wally's died off nervously as he flicked a look at the beach.

"So, uh, how much of that did you see?"

Dick faltered and sheepishly averted his eyes from Wally, "Um, a good deal of it?"

"And you didn't stop me from tossing my stuff into ocean?"

"You needed to vent. Your phone was crap anyway – a flip phone? Wally, get with the program."

Wally sighed, "Okay, how about my wallet?"

Dick shrugged, "Oh no, you lost a Denny's coupon and three dollars in change."

"I already know the answer, but how'd you know what was in my wallet?"

Dick grinned deviously but shrugged innocently.

"You have a copy of the car keys somewhere with you, don't you?"

Dick nodded and pulled a spare set out of his utility belt, and Wally shook his head softly as he took it.

Once he had secured them, he gave Dick a long look before giving him a quick hug, like he used to. When they were still a team. When Megan and Conner had been together and Barry had been cool, and Kadlur hadn't been the bad-guy, and Artemis had just been a friend. Just like when it'd just been him and Rob against the world – and they'd both known they could take it. But just as quick as it had come, it was gone and Wally was grinning at Dick, sad broken smile, but a smile all the same.

"I missed you, Rob."

"Ditto. So you're going to her funeral?"

Wally nodded, "We need to keep up an image, right?"

"Maybe it can be more than that. Like I said earlier."

"That might be okay too." Wally smiled, before his stomach rumbled and he remembered he'd dumped his granola bar earlier.

"I've got six candy bars and twelve granola bars in the Batmobile, along with five bottles of water."

"Did you say the Batmobile? Does Bruce know?"

Nightwing smiled, "By now probably, yeah."

"We're screwed."

"Just like old times." Dick added happily.

"Yeah," Wally grinned, "Just like old times."

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**Author's Note: Sorry I've been gone for so long, I plan on working on Illusions straight away. Maybe in a week or so. :) Thank you ALL SO MUCH for your patience! You know how much you guys mean to me!**


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